Jaybird has made plenty of Bluetooth earbuds over the years, including the excellent Jaybird X3 earbuds from last year. Today, the company has announced a pair of new products. It's updating the Jaybird Freedom (which I wasn't as keen on) with the Freedom 2. It's also getting into this completely wireless earbud game with the Jaybird Run.

The Freedom 2 attempts to address issues I pointed out in our review—specifically, the fit wasn't great because of the battery hanging off the right side, and cable management didn't help. The Freedom 2 has a new tip and fin design that should be more stable, and the cable management system is easier to use. The battery is still on the remote, though. The Freedom 2 earbuds will retail for $149.99 and can be pre-ordered now. They should ship in a few weeks.

A more interesting offering, the Jaybird Run has no wires at all. Each bud is self-contained with its own battery and Bluetooth radio. There's a button on each earbud; the right offers answer, play/pause, and skip, and the left calls up Google Assistant. Jaybird claims four hours of playback per charge, but the case is also a charging dock. The battery in the case can get you eight more hours of listening, and it's not too bulky.

The Run earbuds are larger than the Freedom 2 or the X3, but Jaybird says it worked hard to make the tips and fins ideal for keeping the Jaybird Run in your ears. Unlike the Bluetooth headphones with a wire, it's easy to lose these completely wireless deals. If you do lose one, there will be an option to buy a replacement. That said, I've been testing a pair, and they stay put very well for me. The Jaybird Run is a little more expensive at $179.99. Pre-orders are live and should ship in 3-4 weeks.

"You must be similarly befuddled by earplugs and hearing aids, I take it." In wording more similar to yours as well as including all the original context within the sentence (instead of assuming someone would logically flow the context of the original comment into my reply), this converts to, "I'm guessing you must also not understand how people can stand to push earplugs or hearing aids into their ear canal."

..Although, hearing aids aside, I really don't see how the inclusion of "earplugs" in my reply could allow your interpretation to happen no matter how warped your reasoning was.

ILOxsv

No Bluetooth 5? Meh

tintin.92

Genuine question, how would Bluetooth 5 help on the earbuds themselves?

OHBLAH

It wouldn't. Bluetooth 5 offers higher file transfer speeds but only at extremely close ranges. It also offers longer transmission distances but only at bitrates so low that they aren't usable for sound, but rather for things like home security systems and other smart devices.

There might be a small amount of power saved on your phone's end, but the vast, vast majority of battery power used in bluetooth headphones goes into powering the electromagnets in the ear pieces that create the sound.

Imparus

Much more stable connection and keep connection on longer distance.

TheSpaceUnicorn

Are either of those things that important in the earbuds themselves though? I haven't had Bluetooth connection issues for years, and my headphones are never more than 10 feet away from the device they're streaming from.

Imparus

Yes, for me and a lot of people it is. Some example where greater distance would be appreciated.

- Being able to use your music system in the living room, while cooking in the kitchen and still have your phone with you.
- Being able to listen to music while doing other things when the phone is charging.

OHBLAH

Only in theory, but not in practical terms from tests I've read. Bluetooth 5 is great for communicating with smart devices, but besides the ability to broadcast to two devices at once there are no benefits for music and spoken word transmission. At those bitrates it's not meaningfully better than bluetooth 4 in terms of distance or transmission speed.

Imparus

Got some links where you read that, first I have heard they don't provide better distance and connectivity?

Gotmilo

Saw a review from Jim's review YouTube. The runs falls out the ear and doesn't have a secure fit

adeyemi fakorede

From a scientific standpoint, your conclusion is all but valid... One person (one pair of ears)

Jan Ibrahim

always ignore everyone's comment about 'fit' with earphones. we all have different shaped ears.

I never get why reviewers don't acknowledge this. so many earphones supposedly fit great, have fitted poorly for me, and vice verca.

Jordan Lux

But, what does the case charge with? I know it's a petty reason, but I'm holding off on the Samsung IconX earbuds in hopes that the refresh charges with USB-C, like almost every other device I have- having just one thing with Micro USB would just be frustrating.

Cory S

I wonder if their new fitness tracker thign they jsut released charges with microusb

tehboogieman

That's not petty, these things should last you at least 2 years, and having to carry extra charging cables shouldn't have to be a thing anymore. Also these aren't some bargain bin earphones, they are on the upper end of the scale so they should be coming with the latest standards

This proprietary charging "cradle" is such a joke. The Jaybird X2's are still #1 for that reason alone: charge them ANYWHERE with just a simple cable. I will never buy the X3's or any of the Freedom line if this is the future of their product line. Thankfully my X2's are still running strong {knocks on wood}

The X2 is also my favorite for this reason, though the X3 announces the battery level, and since Android doesn't display it yet anywhere, it's a very handy feature.

I'm really hoping the X4 will be USB-C without the silly dongle.

TheSpaceUnicorn

Say what you will about the airpods, I still find it impressive how small they managed to get them. All other wireless earbuds just look clunky by comparison, imo.

Plus, these are more expensive than the airpods, which people went on about being overpriced.

perfectalpha

The AirPods are so good I recommend them to anyone with an iPhone who asks. Are they the best sounding? No. I have V-Moda Crossfade Wireless headphones I don't even use anymore because of the convenience AirPods deliver. Calls, Siri, Music, etc....love them.

jesuguru

Only thing I don't like about Airpods is how they make you look like you're wearing white earrings

Isaac Brillhart

A button for the Google Assistant? Is it possible these are the headphones that someone found in that teardown? Possibly a deal without Google?

DanG

Allan

i had a chance to try a pair of freedoms not too long ago, and i was excited because i thought my backbeat fits were not so hot in the sound quality area. boy was i wrong, the freedoms made me realize just how good those old backbeats were

Early reviews are saying the Run earbuds basically don't work properly at all with the extra interference when outdoors, just like... every single other completely wireless earbuds already on the market. And just like all the others, Jaybird's "solution" is to tell you to keep your phone in an armband while outdoors, which, by the way, doesn't actually help all that much even if you do try it.

Seriously, we're probably still years away from this being a viable product category for anyone other than the earliest of early adopters.